This week’s episode follows on from last week, but this time we’ll be talking about the modern food & wine culture in Provence.
Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite player!
Provence Part 2: All About Rosé
This week we’ll cover the history of and current unstoppable trend of Provençal rosé. I talk about my experience working with rosé brands in the early 2000s, and how much the landscape has evolved.
From Emily we’ll learn about the defining ingredients of the food from Provence that came from the Americas, like tomatoes!
We also talk to Rosa Jackson, who runs Les Petits Farcis about her favorite Niçoise dishes. This week’s recipe comes straight from her cooking school, a delightful dish of little stuffed vegetables!
Les Petits Farcis from Rosa Jackson
Les Petits Farcis Niçois
Serves 2
Every Niçois has a family recipe for les petits farcis, the little stuffed vegetables that are also sold at many traiteurs (delis) and butchers in the Old Town. These stuffed vegetables should be served warm or at room temperature to best appreciate their individual flavors.
Vegetables to stuff:
- 2 small onions, red or white (I like red)
- 2 small round zucchini or 1 small regular zucchini
- 2 small tomatoes
Stuffing:
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 small onion
- 4 oz white mushrooms (100 g)
- 1 clove garlic
- 6 oz ground or finely chopped raw meat (veal, pork, chicken or a mix), or cooked lentils for a vegetarian version (160 g)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (25 g)
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- Breadcrumbs, as needed (probably not more than 2 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cut a cap off each round zucchini, set it aside and hollow out the inside using a melon baller or spoon. If using long zucchini, cut each one into 7.5 cm (3 inch) chunks horizontally and hollow out the inside from one end, leaving it closed at the other end. Discard the insides if they are seedy, otherwise keep them for the filling.
Cut the onions in half lengthwise, make a small cut next to the root and scoop out the inner layers, leaving two outer layers. Set aside the insides.
Cut a cap of each tomato, set it aside and hollow out the inside, keeping it for another use. Sprinkle the inside of the tomato with salt and set aside, upside-down, on a plate lined with paper towels.
Half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp salt and the hollowed-out onions and zucchini with their caps. When they are just soft, after 3-4 mins, transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
To make the stuffing, cut the mushrooms and zucchini into large chunks. Place each of the vegetables, including the onion trimmings and the zucchini trimmings if using, into the food processor without overfilling it and mince using the pulse button. Transfer to a large bowl. Don’t worry if they give off some liquid in the food processor but try to avoid puréeing them. Mince the garlic by hand and set it aside.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan. Add all the vegetables and cook until they soften and their juices evaporate. Add the garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking.Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and stir in the raw meat. Add the parmesan, eggs, chopped basil, 1 tbsp olive oil and breadcrumbs as needed to lightly bind the mixture. Season well with salt and pepper.
Arrange the vegetables in a roasting tray. Stuff the vegetables with this mixture, topping the tomato and zucchini with their caps, and pour the reserved cooking water into the tray. Roast them in the oven at 350 F (175 C) for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the stuffing is browned. Baste from time to time with the pan juices. Just before serving, drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Serve warm or at room temperature with mesclun.
Thank you Rosa! Check out Les Petits Farcis cooking school and follow Rosa on Instagram!
